Rocket Raccoon #1 (May 1985)

In the Marvel Universe, anyone can be a hero. Regardless of who you are, where you're from, what you identify as, anyone can be a hero. Heck, you don't even have to be human. In the marvel Universe, a hero can be an anthropomorphic raccoon. Which is what the subject of this week's blog entry is about: Rocket Raccoon.

He's a rather famous character, but that was not always the case. Rocket first appeared in the black-and-white magazine Marvel Preview #7 (July 1976), created by writer Bill Mantlo and artist Keith Giffen. Aspects of his character were inspired by the Beatles' 1968 song "Rocky Raccoon". In fact, in his first appearance, he was named "Rocky". it would be retconned that "Rocket" was his full name in his next appearance in The Incredible Hulk #271 (May 1982), which was written by Mantlo. In 1985, he would be given a four-issue miniseries. Afterwards, Rocket would go on to appear in Quasar and The Sensational She-Hulk, but it seemed that the character would fade completely into obscurity...until the 2000s. 

In 2008, he was included in the revamped version of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Being part of this group would significantly elevate Rocket's profile, as this version of the group was the basis for the Marvel Cinematic Universe's version of the Guardians. Rocket's been associated with the Guardians ever since, going on to appear in video games and cartoons. 

The comic we're looking at here is the first issue of his 1985 miniseries. Is it a good contribution to the legend of Rocket Raccoon, or should it be best forgotten? Let's find out as we look at Rocket Raccoon #1!

The cover is a Mike Mignola and Al Gordon piece. It's pretty good, depicting our titular hero shooting at a clown while being surrounded by various enemies. It's an exciting cover, giving the impression that that Rocket is fighting for his fuzzy life. 

"Animal Crackers"
Writer: Bill Mantlo
Penciler: Mike Mignola
Inker: Al Gordon
Colorist: Christie Scheele
Letterer: Ken Bruzenak
Editor: Carl Potts
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

The story begins with an anthropomorphic lizard hard at work. 

"Man, this new line of toys is going to make a mint!"

He lives in a galaxy unlike our own Milky Way. Within this galaxy is an area called the Keystone Quadrant. In this Quadrant is a space station called Spacewheel, and this lizard man is working for a powerful figure in it called Lord Dyvyne. Evidently, "extreme 90s misspelling" predated the 90s itself. Anyway, this Chief Toysmith is building some, well, toys for Dyvyne. He grumbles about being behind schedule, but he's able to get the job done. He notes a reflection in a crystalline eye he's about to install. 

He recognizes the reflection as a clown. One of the clowns that works for a Judson Jakes. The clown then gives the Chief Toysmith some hot lasers to the chest. The clown makes his escape through the Spacewheel, fighting his way through samurai monkeys. Lord Dyvyne calls in some help.

"I HATE CIRCUSES! KILL ALL CIRCUSES!"

That backup comes in the form of Blackjack O'Hare and his Black Bunny Brigade. These lagomorphs are mercenaries by trade, and they easily dispatch the clown, showing they are worth the expense. Dyvyne is furious, as he knows why Jakes sent the clown to kill his Chief Toysmith. Jakes wants to start himself a little trade war, but Dyvyne is going to sic the law on him.

So, who is this intergalactic lawman Dyvyne is calling in? Well, our man, er...raccoon, Rocket.

Nothing can possibly ruin a wonderful day like this...

We see him frolicking with his lady love Lylla the otter and Wal Russ the, well...walrus. Lylla is enjoying a nice cool dip, Wal Russ is taking in some sun, and Rocket is trying to decipher a book.The group get a visit from Rocket's deputies, the Keystone Kops. Rocket wonders why they're here, as he had them tracking a group called the "Snail Gang". They were, but got a call from a place called the "Cuckoo's Nest" about Lord Dyvyne's Chief Toysmith being murdered. Rocket tells the Kops to stay on the Snail Gang, he'll check out the murder. He heads out towards the Cuckoo's Nest.

Rocket realized he needed to up the hiring standards for the help...

Yeah, the idea is that the Cuckoo's Nest appears to have once been a mental hospital/insane asylum, only there seems to be no doctors. Just patients, left to their own devices. Rocket returns the book to a chapel known as "The Admissions Ward". The book is the Bible of Halfworld, and Rocket's been trying to decipher it. The book is written in the language of the ancient Shrinks, their gods. The Good Humor Men in the chapel then perform an ancient ritual.

They next burst into a rendition of Napoleon XIV's "They're Coming to Take Me Away".

The last man's straitjacket is left untied, as the others cannot tie his own. Rocket leaves as they dance, saying he'll never understand these rituals. 

That's ultimately not the point. The uplifted animals like Rocket serve a purpose here in Halfworld. They help protect and entertain the inmates. He gets a call from Lord Dyvyne, the snake-like being demanding that Judson Jakes answer for killing his Chief Toysmith. Rocket wants proof.

Dyvyne provides his proof, showing the head of the destroyed clown robot. It's obviously Jakes, as he's the only one who makes them, and he'd profit if Dyvyne went out of business. We also learn here that Dyvyne has got a thing for Lylla, which Rocket is none too happy about, as Lylla is his girl. Also, Judson Jakes is Lylla's guardian, but she doesn't hold a lot of love for the guy. Rocket hates both Dyvyne and Jakes, as their competition over who gets to provide toys to the crazies of Halfworld makes his job much more difficult. Dyvyne points out without the toys the two provide, the inmates would fall into despair. And as the inmates' protector, he can't let that happen. Rocket admits the snake-man is right. As such, he needs to make a trip to see Jakes. And he'll get there on his ship, the Rack 'n' Ruin. 

"Wal, this planet is friggin' weird?"

This panel here helps show why this planet is called Halfworld. One half of it is green, lush, teeming with life. The other half is its opposite. Cold, sterile, metallic. This half is inhabited by robots. These robots work all day and night. They provide and maintain the toys for the inmates, as well as any of the uplifted animals' cybernetics. They're also hard at work on another project: A giant humanoid spaceship. Rocket wonders about the ship. Where would they go once it's done? The Galacian Wall around the Keystone Quadrant keeps everyone trapped inside. The only one who was ever able to get through was the Incredible Hulk in Incredible Hulk #271 (). Rocket finds himself envying the Hulk, as he wants out of here just as much as the Green Goliath did.

Rocket and Wal arrive at Judson Jakes's company, expecting a warm welcome. By that, I mean a firefight. Lord Dyvyne is thrilled, as he hopes this leads to Rocket and Jakes killing each other. We also learn a bit of Lylla's backstory. You see, her parents originally owned Mayhem Mekaniks, and Judson Jakes was their Chief Toysmith. Until he had them killed, and then took over the company, and made himself Lylla's guardian.  

On Halfworld, corporate intrigue is a deadly serious business.

Speaking of Halfworld, Lylla is watching over the Loonies, unaware a cloaked figure is among them. He makes his way to the room where the Bible is kept.

"Now I can finally finish the series!"

Meet Uncle Pyko, possible grandfather of the Ninja Turtles. Unlike Rocket, he's managed to decipher the Halfworld Bible. Pyko works for Jakes, but he's kept his successful decryption of the Bible to himself. Why? Well, because knowledge is power, and Pyko hungers for it. He believes that he can use the knowledge within the Bible to become the most powerful person, er...tortoise in the Keystone Quadrant.

He manages to make off with the Bible, replacing it with another book of his own. The Good Humor Men don't notice the switch until they perform their ceremony again. Trust me, you do not want to know what was in the book that Pyko left behind.

Lylla realizes that Pyko is behind this. She'd alert Rocket, but he's too far away now. She grabs a blaster to take care of him herself, but gets grabbed.

Meanwhile, Rocket and Wal Russ arrive at Mayhem Mekaniks. They head through the dumping grounds, the place Jakes lumps all the defective and rejected toys go. The ship is grabbed by a giant metal claw. Rocket flies out to take care of it, only to be greeted by Judson Jakes himself and his mechanical army.

This is what Terminators would be like if Skynet was a furry.

Rocket fights his way through the army of mechanical monsters, horrified that Jakes would make these things. After all, his creations are meant to entertain the Loonies, not wage war. But Jakes wants a war. He wants a monopoly on the Loonies' toys. And he wants Lylla's inheritance. But the only way to access it is to marry her. Pyko stops the fight. He is infuriated by the idea of his creations being used for what he thinks is a pointless war. He points out that both Dyvyne and Jakes want to control Mayhem Mekaniks, but Lylla will never consent to marrying either one of them. She loves Rocket, after all. 

Pyko shows the two that Lord Dyvyne has got his Black Bunny Brigade to kidnap Lylla. The story ends with Rocket vowing to make some fur fly. Nobody makes off with his main squeeze and gets away with it. He takes it real personal. 

I did enjoy this comic. It's...is surreal the proper term? Bizarre? It's bizarre, but in a rather fun way. I do think it requires a bit of context for the times. These characters all look like something you would see in a children's cartoon of the era, but you likely would not expect them to be plotting murder against each other. The whole bit with the Loonies can be seen as a bit stereotypical these days, considering stigmas regarding mental illness. The portrayal of Rocket himself can be a bit surprising for those who are more familiar with the modern and MCU interpretations of the character. Rocket is shown to be quite capable, a crack shot, and a loving boyfriend to Lylla. He's also shown to be a bit more lighthearted than modern takes on the character, which I think is interesting. I kind of like this more swashbuckling Rocket. 

I was surprised when I learned the art was done by Mike Mignola. I'm more familiar with his modern artwork from stuff like Hellboy. It's neat to see how his style started out. It feels more like "classical" comic art before its evolution into his later "German Expressionism-meets-Jack Kirby" (as Alan Moore) described it. It's very well done. 

If you want to read this one for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2013 trade paperback Rocket Raccoon and Groot: The Complete Collection. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get your vaccine/booster! See you next time!